The Library at the Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville

What's in a Name?  The Lenoir-Rhyne Namesake  If you've wondered where, or from whom, Lenoir-Rhyne University got its name,  keep reading and wonder no more. Who put the "Lenoir" in Lenoir-Rhyne? His name was Walter Waightstill Lenoir. He was born on the 13th of March, 1823 in Fort Defiance, which is now in Caldwell County, North Carolina. His grandfather, William Lenoir, was a General in the Revolutionary War. Walter Lenoir graduated from The University of North Carolina in 1843. He studied law and he was the valedictorian of his class.  After graduation, he was licensed to practice in North Carolina. However, back in the small farm town where he lived, there was very little law being practiced. He then concentrated on his other trades, mainly farming and cattle raising. It is said that before the Civil War, Lenoir opposed slavery and the attempted secession. However, he eventually enlisted in the Civil War for the Confederate Army. He became a ...